doug smith training

High performance leaders know that any initiative takes both logic and emotion, but which comes first? Which will get you moving, and which will keep you on course? Knowing that you can't live without either one, it's useful to organize the team in ways that optimize your chances of success. Logic usually waits for emotions to express themselves before anyone cares about logic.  Tune up your team's emotions, or the logic will fall flat.  -- doug smith

Leadership is a climb. To make that climb, sometimes we need to clear the path. Sometimes, we need to build the bridge. Always, we need to work well with others. When resistance gets in the way of a noble cause, high performance leaders push on. They act, they show resolve, they mobilize with unrelenting energy. That takes guts. That takes courage. Courage may not always provide answers but it certainly does empower them. Get the answers you need, but by all means lead. -- doug smith  

When it comes to problem solving, when it comes to change, when it comes to leadership -- agreement is what propels you forward. Reach agreement on the motivation for your initiative and the rest is scalable details. -- doug smith

I get stuck on an idea and the more I think about it, the more I like that idea. Is that the best strategy? Not as an exclusive approach to decision thinking because what if that idea is flawed? It's better to get some more thinkers in the mix. A little disagreement can test an idea before the idea has a chance to test you. Leaders need diverse thinkers to help them expand their limited perception. When we're wrong we don't even know it unless someone else opens our mind. Keep that mind open. That next idea might be much better. -- doug smith  

No one works for nothing -- even (especially) in a not-for-profit organization. Unless there is some kind of reward, even the most noble seeming work can get tedious in a hurry. If you are leading volunteers, what's the reward that they can expect? There are many possibilities, but you won't find them unless you search. Possible rewards include: Increased status Public thanks Recognition Sincere gratitude Forgiveness Promotional opportunities Smiles Time spent without demands Flexibility Listening As leaders, it's worth asking "what's the pay?" because those who are "working for nothing" are not. -- doug smith

High performance leaders ask many questions before giving any answers. When in doubt, ask first. -- doug smith  

Short and to the point: practice builds character. Experiencing imperfection, enduring failure, trying and trying again -- there is no other way to acquire that massive benefit other than practice. Practice your skills. Practice your discipline. Practice your changes. As we practice it sharpens and strengthens us as long as we respond to the results we generate with openness and willingness to change.  Not there yet? Don't give up -- practice. Practice builds character and any success worth achieving relies on character to endure. -- doug smith

"Why don't people want to work today?" It's a question I've heard many times. The frustration is real -- it feels harder than ever to find people with a solid work ethic who are willing to do the work it takes to get stuff done. They are there -- but it can be frustrating when we're confronted with people who won't do the job they are paid to do. I like to tell people that I've never had a job that I didn't hate at first but then eventually grow to love. Every single job is tough when we're first learning how to do it. Motivation, behind the monetary reward, is often hard to see. But the rewards are plentiful once you find them. The rewards of working with great people. The joy of finishing what you started. The warmth you get from carefully and completely serving a customer. People who don't seem motivated simply have yet to find the joy in work. Instead of getting frustrated, what if we showed them how much joy the work is already providi

Have you ever had a great thought that somehow escaped you and never found any traction? It's common for me to think I have a great idea (thinking about the thinking!) and then just letting is fade away like some mist on a foggy day. Where's the motion? Where's the action? Philosophy has to move from the head to the hands to do any good. Do you have commitments? Great! What are you doing about them? -- doug smith  

Have you ever had a leader who felt the need to let you know how stressed they were? "There's all this pressure on financials..." or "it's not easy being in charge..." or "I need you to consider my needs, too..." and so on. Leadership comes with stress. Leaders need to rise above the safe levels of just letting things roll around you. Stepping up comes at a cost of uncertainty. What if that's not a bad thing, but rather a stimulating thing? Your stress ins not your team's problem. They've got stressors and problems of their own. They'll do their best until they learn a better way to do it. They've got time to improve. What they don't have is time to fix your stress. You know who IS in charge of your stress? Of course you do. That's you. -- doug smith

Dear Leaders everywhere: Results matter! Of course. We all know that. Let's remember this, please: People matter more. -- doug smith  

If you've ever been on both sides of the fence, you know the differences all too well. Having been blessed with a long and interesting work life I have spent some of that career as an employee and much of it as a contractor.  When I first started, contracting was less common and the distinctions were clear. Employees were expected to be loyal to the company and contractors had their own agenda: they served their current assignment without any expectation of extended loyalty. Contracting, or gig-working, has become so common that many people within a company will assume that they can expect the same behaviors from a contractor that they would from an employee. Some do everything they can to lock in a gig worker without actually providing any of the benefits of being committed that they have to hire lawyers to ward off lawsuits and organizing. That does not create an engaged workforce. Expecting loyalty from a temporary worker is the silliest of assumptions. You know they aren't